Maybe it was all the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches that I used to eat as a kid, but I have a mild obsession with jelly nail polishes. They have depth and are sooo shiny!
So when I heard about Zoya Frida from the NYFW 2012 Collection, I was really excited to see how it would translate onto the nail.
Although I wanted to love it, I only like it. Why? Read on to find out!
P.S. Every time I went to type “Frida”, I kept typing “Friday”. Shows you where my mind is…
Zoya Frida Pictures
Sunlight
Natural Light
Flash
Sunlight
Natural Light
Flash
Zoya Frida Ingredients
Zoya Frida Swatches
All swatches have:
- Nubar Foundation Base Coat
- 4 coats of Zoya Frida
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Sunlight Photos
Natural Light Photos
Flash Photos
Claims: TRUSTED
√ Sheer, dark, warm-toned teal blue
√ Buildable jelly gloss finish
Key Notes
- Name: Zoya Frida
- Collection: Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection
- Press Release: Click here to see the Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection press release
- Colours Available in the Zoya NYFW 2012 Collection (Broken up into 3 Parts):
- Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by Zoya.)
- Where to Buy: Zoya website, NailPolishCanada & Trade Secrets
Zoya Frida Review
Colour
Frida by Zoya is a teal that looked more like a hunter green as I added more coats. At first it starts out with more blue, but then as it gets progressively darker, the green comes out. Yes, I coaxed it out, being the green lover I am. 😉 C’mon, Green! Don’t be shy…I’m your biggest fan!
Finish
This is unquestionably a jelly finish. With the first coat, it’s really streaky and straight-up looks awful. Haha, you shouldn’t wear it like this unless you plan to layer it. (Actually, I think I’m going to love it more when used like that. I’m thinking about one day layering it over glitter for a cool effect.)
With the second coat, you get a little more coverage, and the colour deepens. You could wear it at the 3rd coat, but I wanted it to be more opaque. Actually, I was hoping to get as little visible nail line as possible, so I added a 4th coat.
I suggest waiting a very long time after your final coat before you apply your top coat or your top coat may shrink the polish and cause premature tip wear (which I think is what also happened to me).
Application & Formula
The formula isn’t watery like a lot of jelly polishes I’ve tried before. This one is almost a gel in consistency, which actually made it easier to control.
However, I made the mistake of applying too-thick coats, which is why you’ll see how badly it bubbled on me! Also, I don’t know if the polish pixies were at work, but I somehow managed to get lots of small silver glitter in my bottle or on the brush, so some of the ‘bubbling’ you see is also my own silver glitter! :S Haha…oops!
Animal-Friendliness
Those who are being very careful about what brands and products to promote will love how Zoya is vegan and cruelty-free!
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 6.5/10
Sadly, Zoya Frida didn’t impress me when I wore it solo. I think it’s much better used as a layering polish with glitter.
I couldn’t get over my visible nail line even at 4 coats. Yes, it’s a jelly polish, and it’s to be expected, but I couldn’t help feel frustrated. (I kept looking at my bottle, thinking, “I wanted to love you! Whyyyyy?”) Okay, I’m weird. But that’s why you visit, right? 😉
Do you forgive jelly polishes for visible nail line? What’s your favourite jelly polish?
pretty color
Hey Icequeen81!
Glad you liked it. Did you pick up any of the other jelly polishes from the new Zoya collection?
I totally forgive the VNL because I love the transparency of jellies for their layering capabilities. I work in a conservative environment and can’t really do OMGlitter mani’s for work, but I feel like if I slap a jelly coat over top it becomes just an “interesting” mani instead of a wild one. I loved your pictures of Friday, it looks gorgeous to me- but then, I’m a known jelly lover. Thanks for the tip about avoiding the bubbles.
Emily recently posted: OPI Just Spotted the Lizard vs. China Glaze Rare and Radiant
Hey Emily!
I definitely need to do a glitter-sandwich manicure with this one. Never tried any before, and I really want to test out the layering capabilities of Frida. 😀
See, I’m really lucky because where I work, I can literally wear any nail colour (from neons to vampies) and it’s okay.
Do you tend to wear more of your wild manicures on the weekend then?
I agree with you … I don’t think I’d ever wear it alone, but it would make a cool glitter sandwich! I’m not that excited about any of the jellies they put out for fall.
Ashley @ Passion for Polish recently posted: China Glaze Flirty Tankini
Hey Ashley!
YES – I need to do one of those. Just need to pick out a glitter polish to pair it with. 🙂
This is the never-ending struggle I have with jellies. So pretty, so candy-like, so glossy…and so sheer. If I really like the color, though, I can overlook VNL–so this one may go on my “must-buy” list. I have a soft spot for teals. I noticed since your nails were shorter the nail line was less visible, so if I get it I’ll save it for when my nails are shorter.
Hey Jessica!
Some jellies are more opaque than others. I really like OPI Vodka and Caviar – red jelly. And Zoya Frida is buildable, so maybe if I used 5 coats, it wouldn’t show the nail line as much…but I think 5 coats would be rather excessive.
Yes, good point – on shorter nails, the visible nail line might not be as bad. Also, if you want to wear this polish on longer nails, maybe try a glitter-sandwich manicure. 🙂
Could u try a ruffian mani ? 🙂 please
cuz i wanna do one but i have no idea which colours to use…
~G
Hey Greta!
That’s been on my To-Do List for the longest time…haha! I’ll see if I can get around to it sooner rather than later. 🙂
Would you be more interested in fall or summer shades for the Ruffian manicure?
hmmm… fall… i think it would look great with a pearly white or genius in the bottle by catrice (its a péridot dupe)…
~G
Okay, I’ll try a Ruffian manicure in a fall colour combination. I really like greens and purples, so I may do a combination like that. But did you really want me to use Frida? Because I was thinking about using two other polishes. Let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. 🙂
oh no… i only replied that here because it was your latest nail polish review 😀 haha
Ohhh, okay! 🙂
I’m not usually a fan of sheer jelly polishes, but I loooove how this looks! Beautiful teal-green. Lovely!
The Lacquer Tracker recently posted: Jessica – Iridescent Eye
Hey The Lacquer Tracker!
That’s a really catchy name, by the way!
Glad you liked Frida. 🙂 Y’know, for some people who aren’t fans of visible nail line, maybe they can add glitter to the tips for a fun look. I may have to try that sometime.
I do love glitter gradients, so that’s an awesome idea for a way to cover the tips!
And thanks for the comment about my name! I thought it had a certain catchy-ness to it. The only problem is that sometimes I accidentally write it like this when I’m in a hurry: “The Lacker Tracquer”. Hah. 😛
The Lacquer Tracker recently posted: Nails Inc Pudding Lane
Hehe, “The Lacker Tracquer” is pretty cool, too. 😉 Clever!
Jelly shades really need to strut their stuff for me to even pay notice. I was curious to see your thoughts on this one (knowing that you like green shades)… When I see nail lines with a jelly polish I feel like my manicure is NOT complete… kind of like wear a bra and underwear (you’re not really fully dressed at this point in time) 😉
I have seen gorgeous layering/sandwiches being done with these… yet I just don’t get it.
My favourite jelly is Cult Nails “Scandalous” because it builds to an opaque squishy look 😉
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Hey Marta!
Even though I’m holding the pom poms for green polishes, yeah, this one wasn’t my favourite. I do like it, but I think the next time I wear it, I’ll put something over the tips (like a glitter polish) to conceal the visible nail line. Or I may do the glitter-sandwich manicure – been wanting to try that for quite some time.
I just discovered over the weekend that if you love this color but aren’t keen on slapping on 4 coats of it for opacity, layer 1-2 coats over Essie Going Incognito. It’s beautiful!
I then put Picture Polish Kryptonite over top of everything after a few days and that is also BANGIN. 🙂
Hey Erin!
Sounds like a great combination! 🙂 I read on Zoya’s blog that you can layer their jellies over cremes to get strong opacity with the jelly feel. Is that where you found out about it? I’ve never tried it, but I’m going to keep it in mind since it’s a great idea. No more visible nail line!
Hehe, “BANGIN”. 😉 I love that expression, and I love that you used it to describe your manicure combination! 😀